Cell Block D (23 days to execution)

Alex peered at Nicky as she washed her white tank top out in their shared sink with hand soap preparing to hang it across the string they used a clothes hanger to dry. She kept her eyes from flicking to the clock every ten minutes, but failing miserably. When she was sure that her cellmate was distracted, she used a pocket mirror they had snagged from commissary to decode her one of the many tattoos covering her left forearm, it was of an ancient scroll. On the tablet , the letters looked nonsensical , however when looking in the mirror it transcribed the number 11121147 and a name Allen Schweitzer.

Alex picked up a tablet on the one metal table in their cell, and hurriedly scratched out the information. She graciously turned her head, as Nicky moved to occupy the toilet to relieve herself.

"Uh….the toilet won't flush…", she noted as she tried the handle after a brief stream.

"So….

"So….that only means one thing….shit…..", Nicky dove her to bunk quickly.

Alex looked around in confusion as prisoners began to shout before a siren even went off in warning…an automated voice repeated "raid, raid", as all CO's on duty and many others burst into the first floor and began to rush the upper floors correspondingly in a timed assault fashion dressed in all black tactical gear moving from cell to cell quickly.

"They do that, to keep us from flushing contraband….seeing Alex's blank stare….."Ya know drugs, weapons whatever…."

"Well, what's the panic….we got nothing to worry about?", she stated innocently..

"Speak for yourself," as Nicky came up with what she had been digging for, tucked in the corner between the metal frame and her mattress was a small snack sized ziplock of white powder that she shook in Alex's face for proof.

She didn't question her cellmate but asked what could they do to save themselves, Nicky only shouted orders for her to feel under the metal sink. When her hands felt a wooden handle taped to the underneath, she peeled it back and pulled out a homemade knife over 7 inches. She grasped it in her palm looking at Nicky now like she could be the one to murder her, as she heard Mendez beating down a path to their cell..., Jesus Christ, it was one thing after the other now.

"What the hell, Nicky?"

"Hey, I'm not getting stuck unarmed when Race Wars break out...its insurance…" Nicky reasoned.

"You don't understand."…..She held eye contact with Nicky for a long pause and before she looked again, and Alex met a pair of black beady eyes staring at them through the bars….

"Open on four", he shouted with no emotion on his face but that permanent shitty smile...

Alex could only tuck the knife into the back of her waistband and stand at attention at the end of their bunk beside Nicky, where the baggie had gone she didn't dare ask. Nicky's face was sheet white and she was as silent as Alex had ever seen her.

Fuck….Fuck…..Fuck…Alex was on her own here….She met his eyes with a defiant stare. Mendez ground his jaw and snapped his gum, "Inmate …stand down"

They moved to directly outside the cell, giving him his leisure to look as he pleased. But, Mendez had seen her gesture behind her back and suddenly grabbed her roughly by the forearm. "Hold on, I saw that."

Alex stiffened but before she could fabricate a lie, he whipped his hand under her khaki prison top and grabbed the handle. "Ah, gearing up already….so soon fish? Or is it Nichols showing you the ropes?"

Alex fumbled for a response as Mendez eyed both her and Nicky. Just then, as fate would have it… Caputo stopped to monitor the sweep's progress.

"What's going on here, Guard?'

"Found this contraband in their cell...gotta a shank in here"..…

Mendez said as he tapped the handle against her chest…..her heart pounded furiously…she clenched her jaw…decisions whirling in her head…."Is it yours, Vause?"

Alex stiffened, weighing all possible outcomes….she found herself saying, "Yes….. ". Sooner or later, she was going to need a favor from Nicky and it never hurt to lay the ground work now…hopefully she would only get a couple days…

But was promptly interrupted by Caputo, he held eye contact with her….she had already worked a couple sessions with their TAJ project, getting along nicely so far…..time seemed to stop and stand still…He looked at the knife and said,"You're a horrible liar, Vause, I know one when I see it….Nichols that's ten days in the SHU…longer if you give us any trouble like the last time….come on….that's an order!"

Mendez's mouth gaped as he nearly had Alex right where he wanted her, he could tell Vause had little respect for him and anxiously awaited a chance to show Caputo that she was nothing but trouble but it seemed the little bitch did have the Warden in her back pocket after all... just as he suspected. He gritted his jaw and followed orders…..but he'd just have to watch her twice as hard now.

Nicky looked shocked and pissed, as Mendez grabbed her from the cell, Nichols looked at her with an affirming nod of her head, silently giving her thanks, Alex had tried but failed to save her.

Well, as her mind raced with adrenaline at this new turn of events and almost going down herself…Alex had only one good thought about it all was that with her cellmate gone now she could get to work on the first part of the escape route without having to wait until she was sleeping.

The Yard

Alex stared pensively at the chess board, its weathered pieces from the blistering sun, Rosa Cisneros lightly dabbed the sweat from her shining head…"You're already three moves ahead of me for Christ's sake, just end this already….", she grumbled.

"You ever think about Boston," Alex eyed her intently.

"Sure", she replied stroking her tabby cat along its back.

"Think you'll ever get to see it again?"

"I'm 62 years old now with 30 years left on my sentence…she chuckled at the thought…"Whadda you think?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm thinking about going..", She left her statement open ended.

"Well, there's going and then there's really going…which one do you mean?", Rosa eyed her suspiciously.

"You know exactly what I mean." Alex said decisively

The old woman's laugh rang out so loud and so suddenly that she startled the cat, "You been here a week, and you're already thinking about pulling a rabbit trick?"

Alex's smirk was a devilish one, but didn't reply

Cisneros patted Alex's shoulder , "Trust me comrade, that urge will pass….it always does."

The elder woman looked around the yard watching Vee and her crew menacingly pass another group of white power promoters from a different block that were mixed in today, with little thought of the obvious tension building.

Rosa eyed her with a seriousness that only aged wisdom can bring…"No, fish, I've got a lot more important things to worry about at my age, I've been here long enough to see the blacks and the whites have a power struggle going so long that its about to boil over. And, when the riot breaks out, I can't afford to get caught in the fray, I'm not looking for any trouble….and if you hope to make it back to your family outside, you better do the same."

Alex eyed the sun going high in the sky meant it was noon….Dr. Chapman would be calling for her soon…had to be, surprised she hadn't been summoned already. She eyed the yard for Taystee or anyone of her crew but found no one from her block out there, damn place what a bad day for block rotation, yet another factor she hadn't known about. She felt beads of nervous sweat break out on her back as her plan was in desperate need of a miracle right now. She quickly dispatched of her friend and they agreed to another game later, as the heat was becoming too much for Rosa anyway.

Alex had another reason for needing to be in the yard today, as she eyed the stadium style wooden bleachers along the east side of the fence by the workout area. They were many scattered groups of allies and enemies doing pushups, situps and benchpressing the bar. She started at one end and counted down the fourth bench from the right and started casually walking over.

As she crossed behind the benches she eyed the holes where the wooden slats were screwed together, she peered underneath to see it was still in good working order before sitting her weight on in. She crossed her fingers along the edges, her fingertips feeling inside the holes for a certain type of screw, a common one but she needed the exact one. Model number 11121147, the same screw from the blueprints 7/16 X 6 machine screw. The black heels of her work boots stomped on the old boards as she casually sat down and checked the last hole finding the exact one she needed.

She wiped away the grime to find the diagonal slot in the head of the screw and began to turn it with a quarter she had snagged from the ground yesterday, shielding her hand with her body behind her back, sneakily turning….until another inmate stopped in front of her…

"Hey fish, you can't sit here….only Boo's girls can sit here.."

"Well, I don't see anyone else here, so what's it to you", still turning the screw….

"I'm telling you to move", she edged closer, her long brown hair probably once pretty lay in greasy tendrils from her loose bun.

"What kinda name is Boo anyway?" Alex snarked

"It's Big Boo, actually…." A voice from her right startled her, as she saw an older woman approaching several inches shorter but stocky in build, with a short black haircut and white tank top fitting snugly on her rounding belly. There was another girl in new DOC orange, looked barely old enough to be in this hellhole, tagging closely behind her with her hand tucked tightly to the back pocket of her khaki jumper

Alex saw her immediately and started to rise, "No…NO… please sit"…as Boo's eyes ran greedily up and down her tall form. "You're the new one I've been hearing so much about….I'm glad I got to see that you're just as pretty as advertised"….her smirk grew exponentially. Alex saw the jealousy streak through the eyes of the other girl…"Why I'd say you're even prettier….."

Vee's crew was circling the yard with the members another black group from another block…"So, I guess they got you scared….is that the reason you're sitting over here..?"

Alex only shrugged confused…"Who"

"Well, obviously after a week or so in here, you see how this system is set up against us God fearing white folks….we are the minority in here….can't you see….the time is coming , fish, and you better be on the right side of the hand of God….we are his chosen people... yet we are housed in here amongst the dogs….", Boo rose and spun in a circle pointing out the obvious differences in skin color amongst the yard…

Alex just turned her head, not wanting to agree either way. Boo eyed Vee just as hard as she was eyeing her….there was obviously no love lost between the two. "They think because they have the numbers in here that they can do whatever they want…but we have one thing that they don't…Boo leaned in with a conspiratory whisper….Alex angled her body back to block her view as she was still turning that screw nearly halfway out now.

"The element of Surprise….we are gonna take it to them real soon…and its going to be real nasty for a first timer like you, Pretty…..but don't worry we'll protect you... or rather I'll protect you….she laid a hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex fought the urge to shrug it off.

Boo reached down her pocket and removed the other girl's hand slapping it away much to her displeasure…."All you gotta do is grab a hold of this pocket here"….she pulled the inner white lining out, "And you'll be all gravy..no one will hurt you…when I move, you move…..you keep real close and no one in here can hurt you, honey…." She smirked slyly flexing her biceps as the other girl quickly tugged her hand back inside her pocket.

Alex paused, choosing her words wisely, she wasn't looking for trouble…but she was nobody's bitch and wasn't about to start now…."Looks to me, like you've already got a girlfriend", her trademark smirk growing.

Boo quickly stood up, slapping the girls hand away again…."Don't worry, I've got another pocket for you, right here"…as she pulled the lining out of the other one offering her to grab it.

Alex trained her eyes to hold no emotion and stared straight ahead, "No thanks, I'll pass."

"If I don't protect you….they gonna gobble you up like a plate of black eyed peas"

"I said NO", Alex rose her voice firmly now.

Boo moved up the row between them with quickness that defied her size, and was within inches of Alex's face before she could even react. Her hand faltered on the screw so loose now that she almost pull it out with her bare hand.

"Then you better be moving along then, fish"

Alex stood but didn't step down…"NOW!", Boo's voice boomed which began to move her feet to steps below…she looked back longingly at her needed piece still embedded in top row…Boo added," And if I see you around these bleachers again….it'll be more than just words we're exchanging…you hear me?" to her retreating back but she didn't bother to give a reply. More issues just kept cropping up.

Infirmary

Dr. Chapman walked through sick bay, she checked on a few transfer patients from Fox River. Apparently, a rash of food poisoning probably from serving old or improperly reheated food had given the men's prison so many inmates going out both ends that their infirmary was pushed to its breaking point. She noted for the nurse to push their fluids faster and administered a few shots of Zofran for the persistent nausea so they could be transported back as quickly as possible. As she gave the last one to handsome young man no more than 21, he grabbed her hand briefly, "Has anyone ever told you that you have prettiest blue eyes...?" She shrugged him off as she was used to the men being distracted and headed back into her office.

Her eyes landed on the file folder marked Vause, A. She looked at the clock...she needed to get her in here so they can run those glucose tests took a couple of hours to get a true result. She noticed its thicker personal file...she had to admit that something about her seemed off...she was so polite, funny, and obviously smart...they had practically attended the same college at nearly the same time.

What had happened to turn her so far from her original path. Piper found herself flipping through the pages of her psych eval something she rarely did. The doctor had noted that Alex had an extremely hard time opening up about her family or her past, noted that she had no real parents to speak of and had been bounced around in the system until thirteen when she had disappeared. At eighteen, she turned up with a GED and scored so high on Loyola's entrance and IQ exams that they had been willing to look the other way on her blank past.

Well read, street smart and graduated with a structural engineering degree. Prestigious internships and employment up until the day she walked into Grand National Bank and robbed it...shooting no one and making no attempt to leave with the money...makes absolutely no sense. She flipped the file closed...finding no real answers but briefly satisfying her unwise curiosity about the inmate.

She picked up her desk phone to page Mendez for transport, when she heard a clatter and saw one man suddenly began to vomit blood furiously onto the floor clutching his stomach. The nurse shouted, "Dr. Chapman come quick", and she hung up the phone, Alex would have to wait a little longer.

Church afternoon service

Alex kept her head forward as she edged to the middle of the pew where she could be easily spotted by Red. True to form, like clockwork three times a week, she arrived for the thirty minute sermon and slid in directly behind her.

"So how'd you sleep?", Alex asked

"Like a baby", came a sardonic reply

Alex chuckled…"Come on, I meant what I said, I need some info….I'm going crazy in there.", Red whispered forcefully drawing a stare from Officer Bell, as Alex bent down and pretended to adjust her socks.

"Fine, the infirmary.."

"The infirmary?", Red asked as if that was supposed to mean something to her.

"Yes, it's the weakest link in the security chain, as long as I can continue to get access there, we will have a final exit plan." Alex whispered back

"What do you mean continue?"…..

"I'm going there daily now to get insulin shots by forging medicals documents of a Diabetes diagnosis, so I can get familiar with the layout of medical, now I just need some PUGNac and I've got everything covered.."

"I can't even repeat that to ask you what the hell it is", Red rolled her eyes upward and tilted her head back to give the appearance of praying to the heavens. They were obviously going to need all the help they could get.

"It's a pill that will lowers my insulin levels to the point I'm hypoglycemic…as long as the good Doctor keeps thinking I'm a diabetic, don't worry, I'll have plenty of time to do what I need to do.

"Which is?", Red growled.

"A little groundwork, some prep for your glorious arrival"…..Alex smiled being deliberately vague but entirely certain of her plan. "Well, ….that's the idea anyway"

"Why only the idea….you just said you're getting up there daily!"

"I've hit a snag….but nothing to worry about"…Alex lied easily…"I'll figure it out, they just don't exactly stock the pill in commissary ya know?"

"So you're telling me that you've got my hopes up and this whole thing is riding on a bunch of pills that you have no access to?", Red lowered her head into her lap and grabbed a worn out King James Bible from the pew in front of them.

"Don't worry…I've got someone working on it as we speak….", Red and Alex both turned to see Taystee, Poussey, and Cindy edge into a back pew late to service. Red didn't miss the long stare between Taystee and Alex nor the subtle head nod. Taystee cracked a mischievous grin at the pair and Red quickly turned back around.

"I hate to say it, but now is not the time to be trusting a black inmate or anyone you've known exactly one week with the details of this...", Red snapped

Alex only smirked at the older woman's summation that she was not a good judge of character…or rather that she was trusting Nicky who trusted Jefferson and said that Taystee could be counted on….not much to go on but what choice did she have? Using her best smartass tone, "Our relationship transcends race"

"Nothing transcends race in here…..just quit…I can't let you do it…just keep your head down and with good behavior you'll be outta here in three maybe fours years tops…", Red husked out

"Hell, I plan on being out a lot sooner than that", Alex quipped

"It can't be done", Red's voice was clipped and harsh suddenly quiet as another officer paced the front pew casting looks their way, Alex slumped back in her seat…..as the guard rotated to the back…"No one has ever broken out of Litchfield in its 60 year history…."Red continued.

"The first part of the plan is already in motion as you've seen, I'm on PI with you now...…I've planned for every contingency."

"Every contingency….really….really", she deadpanned, Red's eyebrows raised nearly to her red hair, her sarcasm a sharp point.

"Okay fine, not every contingency", Alex conceded briefly

"You may have the blueplan to this place…but there's one thing that paper couldn't show you….is people…the people here like Vee, and others…" Red nodded her head not subtly to her and her henchman on a pew at the front right corner and then Jefferson's crew in the back of them, "They will cut you up at a moment's notice if you look at them wrong or soon as they think they don't need you anymore."

"As far they all know, I'm just another con doing my time." Alex reasoned.

" You don't have to go looking for trouble, it has a way of finding you in here." Red replied knowingly

Alex huffed, "And by the time it does, we will already be long gone, just let me worry about that." She shifted away from Red as another guard sweep went by. She glanced at the clock their time was winding down.

"This is madness…Alex…you can't even get out of your cell without a guard."

"That's not true", Alex piped up quickly

'What you gotta a key?" Red laughed, unknowing that Taystee was watching closely and straining to hear a few words that floated back her way.

"Something like that," Alex remained elusive as always.

That was as much of the plan as they could discuss today as the sermon was wrapping up, and the guards were already waiting to escort them back. She had to find a way to meet with Taystee before they were led off in different directions…..she needed that pill and now….who knew how long she needed for it take to effect as she glanced at the clock nervously.

She needed those daily visits to the infirmary to keep working on a major portion of the last leg of their escape, Alex had broken the route up into pieces…Piper's smile crossed her mind's eye causing her to smile briefly…she shook her insistently….

Access to the infirmary was what she needed….Piper…rather Dr. Chapman was simply pleasant scenery and nothing more than a means to an end….there was ticking time clock on everything about her time here and a cloak of falsehood that shrouded her real emotions and intentions with every person she came in contact with.